Irish Specimen Fish Atlas
ISFC & IFI Joint publication
Distribution and frequency of large angler caught fish 1955-2019
Recreational anglers in Ireland have been recording their record and specimen fish captures with the Irish Specimen Fish Committee (ISFC) for more than 60 years. This comprehensive archive is presented here in the form of a Specimen Fish Atlas, which furnishes both an angler-centric output and a scientific evaluation of the specimen fish information. The Atlas, covering the period between 1955 and 2019, includes species-specific reports and trend analyses for specimen-sized fish of the …
The Irish Specimen Fish Committee have announced that the awards ceremony for the 2022 season will be held in the Clayton Hotel Leopardstown on the 11th of March at 14.00…
The Irish Specimen Fish Committee (ISFC) held its Specimen Fish Awards Day on Saturday 5th November 2022 at the Clayton Hotel, Sandyford, Co, Dublin. Successful anglers from all over Ireland who caught specimen fish in lakes, rivers or in the sea in 2021 were presented their awards.
To find a photo of your presentation follow the link below:
ISFC Annual Awards
Reminder to Please get your claims in now to avoid the rush at end October closing date.
The deadline for submitting specimen claims is approaching fast. If you were lucky enough to catch a specimen fish this year and want to claim it, get your paperwork into the ISFC as soon as possible so that the ISFC can assess it. All specimen claims to be submitted by 31st Oct.
To speed up the process this year you can email a copy of your completed claim form to
Anglers fishing Irish waters caught hundreds of huge fish in 2021 according to the just-published Irish Specimen Fish Committee report.
One new Irish record was set by Jim Clohessy from Cork who smashed the existing record for a rare species, the Stone Basse taken when fishing off Cork Harbour.
Download the report
Over 470 exceptionally large fish of different species were caught by anglers from venues throughout Ireland in 2021. The main species were smaller shark species like Spurdog and, in freshwater, Tench, Roach Bream Hybrids and Brown trout dominated. All fish were …
Unfortunately ISFC report 2021 production has been delayed for various reasons.
We hope to have a version online in mid-June and hard copy at end June.
Thanks for your patience.
Colour tends not to be a reliable distinguishing feature for many species. For these two rockling
species, which are on the Irish Specimen Fish Committee listings, colouration is very relevant.
Both body shapes are suggestive of small ling and both are scaleless with a single dorsal fin which
extends for approx. 40% of the body. Both have two barbels on the snout and one under the chin.
Colours vary being typically ranging from yellow to brown to reddish for both with pale ventral
colours.
The three bearded rocking can also be distinctly dark orange. Large chocolate …
Annual report – hope to publish in April 2022.
Annual Awards Day – the usual event held in Feb every year was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation, but it is planned to have an event at some stage in 2022.
Handling – for all species best practice is essential. This is particularly important for species like shad.
Specimen fish rules updates:
Corkwing wrasse length – 2021 was a data collection year for this species in order to set a realistic threshold. Data showed that the guideline length of 20 cm total length (TL) …
The ISFC is a voluntary body that relies entirely on funding from agencies and anglers in order to operate. In recent years our funding levels have been reduced substantially and this threatens our long term viability. If you value the work the ISFC does, we would appreciate if you could make a small donation here.
DNA analysis
Scales from shads and cyprinids (roach, rudd and their hybrids) must be submitted for DNA analysis to confirm identification. A fee of €10 is payable to ISFC for this service. On receipt of your claim ISFC will email you with an invoice which can be paid via Paypal.
